Following through: Longitudinal research into new VET in School teachers with an industry background

This paper will present some of the findings from a four year longitudinal study into a group of teachers who have made a career change from an extensive industry background to a career teaching technology subjects and VET in schools courses in rural and regional schools in NSW. The research explored the effects of the background and the accelerated teacher training program of this teacher's orientation to the world of schools. Are these teachers acting as agents of change in the schools to which they are posted? Many of the participants in the study expressed a desire to make a difference as their major reason for changing careers. Further down the track, is this vision becoming a reality or are they overwhelmed by the reality and demands of teaching, often in quite remote or 'hard to staff' schools? The researcher has used biographical data, phone and emailed conversations as well as school site visits to attempt to capture some of the realities of school life for these teachers, with a particular focus on their attitudes and approaches to learning and teaching.